RUESSELSHEIM, Germany - Fearing layoffs, thousands of Opel workers walked off the job yesterday to protest General Motors Co.’s decision to abandon the unit’s sale.
Their indignation was echoed by German and Russian politicians, who had supported selling a majority stake in Opel to the Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc. and the Russian lender Sberbank.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said GM exhibited an “arrogant attitude’’ in abandoning months of negotiations and complained that “GM didn’t discuss anything with anyone.’’ German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said “jobs must be protected.’’
Workers at Opel headquarters vented their frustration and anger at a rally. One group carried a black coffin with the GM and Opel logos; others held placards such as “GM get lost.’’
“Our trust [in GM] is now zero, and that is the heart of the problem,’’ Klaus Franz, head of Opel’s employee council, told the workers. “We will stand together and fight for our future.’’
Organizers estimated that 10,000 workers attended, while police put the figure at 6,000. Smaller rallies were held at factories elsewhere.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office said she had discussed GM decision with President Obama, who told her he had no involvement in the move by the board of the majority government-owned company.
Merkel spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said she spoke with Obama Wednesday evening and the two agreed to remain in contact on the issue. Merkel told him the government would press for GM quickly to put forward a new plan for Opel.
GM’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, said the company could tap some of the $50 billion in aid it has received from the US government to help finance the Opel plan.
